Cary Castle

Cary Castle stands on Lodge Hill above the Somerset town of Castle Cary. Built as a motte and bailey in the 12th century, it was first raised by Walter of Douai or his son Robert. The castle saw action during The Anarchy when King Stephen besieged it with siege engines for months until the garrison surrendered from hunger. Later the Lovel family regained control, holding the castle until the 14th century. By the late 15th century the fortress had been abandoned and a manor house built on the site. The castle’s remains include substantial earthworks and traces of a stone keep that once stood 24 metres square. Excavations in 1890 funded by local people uncovered the foundations of the inner and outer baileys. A 2023 re-excavation confirmed the keep’s short life, with little weathering on its plinth. Some dressed stones from the castle were reused in town buildings, and the Castle Cary and District Museum displays artefacts from its history. Visitors today see grassy mounds marking the keep and baileys, with views across Castle Cary and the Somerset countryside. The ditch around the site reaches 17 metres wide and 6 metres deep in places. The museum’s display offers a concise account of the castle’s turbulent past and its eventual decline.